details at dior

Outside of Raf Simons' first Ready-to-Wear collection at Dior during Spring/Summer 2013 Paris Fashion Week, the atmosphere was filled not only with excited anticipation of what was to come, but also with bright colours and textures, courtesy of the clothes that show-goers wore to view Simons' first turn at Dior.  The sun came out and the skies turned blue after what had been a first several days of dreadful cold and wet weather, and the crowd was loving it!  Here are some delightful details we spotted at Dior...

Casting director, Natalie Joos, in her wonderfully printed and structured colourful outfit.

A close-up of The Man Repeller, Leandra Medine.

There's nothing better that stylish arm candy to accompany you to the shows.

Mixing leathers: a snakeskin bag, a calf-hair boot and a lambskin skirt.

Delicate feathery plumes and counter-balanced by a studded black folio.

The colourful chinoiserie on this voluminous jacket was absolute perfection.

A Japanese origami hat.

Gold embroidery and striped colourful lining give the classic black jacket an updated twist. 

An ombre floral print on an ombre black-to-white jacket.

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chalayan spring/summer 2013: backstage

Backstage at Chalayan, the energy was calm and serene, much like the collection itself.  The whole team worked like a well-oiled machine, with Mr. Chalayan himself appearing as calm and collected as ever.  Make-up artists from M.A.C. painted on clean, fresh looks with matte fuchsia lips on all the models while hairstylists slicked their hair back into a perfect, shiny ponytail.  We also spotted top models such as Liu Wen and Aline Weber, as well as upcoming gorgeous faces such as Sung.  Here's a peak backstage at the show and look out for the full runway video right here on the blog soon.

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after balmain

The Balmain show at Le Grand Hotel drew out a decadently attired crowd of editors and buyers, all dressed in that easy, deceptively laid-back sexy style for which the label has become so well-known.  All the big names were in attendance and, despite the rain, pulled out all the stops for their adoring fans and street-style photographers.

Vogue Australia's Christine Centenera.

ELLE's Kate Lanphear.

Vogue.com contributor, Lynn Yaeger.

Vogue Paris Editor-in-Chief, Emmanuelle Alt.

Vogue Nippon Editor-at-Large, Anna Dello Russo.

Anja Rubik.

Black leather, two ways: StyleByKling's Elin Kling in leather pants and stylist Barbara Martello in a leather skirt.

Black two ways: lace and shearling.

Blue two ways: modern sophistication and feminine chic.

Graphic black & white two ways: sexy and embellished.

Blazer two ways: classic grey wool and edgy leopard print.

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bonjour, paris!

Day one in Paris and the weather was unfortunately rather miserable - cold and raining - fortunately, however, that gave us a great excuse to spend the day scoping out the shopping.  As is usually our first-stop in Paris, we headed straight for Printemps and Galleries Lafayette, with a detour along the rue Saint-Honoré to check out all the quaint boutiques and heavy-hitting fashion houses.  Our day of exploration was tonnes of fun, but work starts today, with several shows to attend and showroom appointments starting too.  Spring/Summer 2013 Paris Fashion Week, we have arrived!  Here's a visual diary from our first day here.

On the 00.45am Cathay Pacific flight to Paris, which arrives bright and early, allowing you the full day to explore the city.

A cute little tower of piglets holding up a tower stack of meandering books in a window somewhere in the Opéra district.

Pretty Polynesian stamps with a hand-written description.

Lanvin-themed macaroons at La Durée, in celebration of Alber Elbaz's decade-long tenure at the storied fashion house.

Danger zone everywhere we turn!  Seriously delectable pastries and cakes in abundance.  Seriously tempting...

The stained glass dome ceiling at Galleries Lafayette is looking as gorgeous as ever.  Strolling around the store, it's clear to us that contemporary brands such as IRO, Isabel Marant Etoile, APC, etc. are the real draw here--it was the only apparel floor that was truly jam-packed with shoppers.

Printemps has been Yayoi Kusama-fied!  In celebration of her collaboration with Louis Vuitton, Printemps has converted a huge portion of their basement floor into a polka-dotted heaven.

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paris fashion week, here we come!

We're jetting off to Paris for Spring/Summer 2013 Fashion Week this evening!  Just as we did last season, we'll be bringing you all along with us and reporting on all of the fashion and news from the front row, backstage and on the streets.  Watch this space as we bring you all the best street-style snaps, get up close with all of the best pieces in our trendspotting reports, find out more about industry heavy-hitters in our profile pieces and make sure to check out our best bet guides for the "in" on where to go next time you're in beautiful Paris.  Think we're missing something?  Let us know in the comments and we'll try our best to bring it to you.  Until then, au revoir!  See you in Paris!

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trendspotting: black & white

We've loved the past handful of seasons that have been full of bright prints and neon colours, but we've been longing for a return to simpler, sleeker times, and it seems that this season our prayers have been answered.  Designers have been showing lots of black and white for the Spring/Summer 2013 season, and we're loving how clean, easy and sophisticated it all looks.  After all, you really can't go wrong with an impeccably cut white ensemble, or a beautifully embellished little black dress.  It's timeless, easy chic and we can't wait to wear it all!

From left to right: Peter Som, sass & bide, sass & bide, No. 21 by Alessandro Dell'Acqua, Richard Nicoll, No. 21 by Alessandro Dell'Acqua.

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spring/summer 2013: no. 21

Alessandro Dell'Acqua's No. 21 show is on the first day of Milan Fashion Week, so it's often hard to make it there in time, but those who did were in for a seriously delightful treat.  Dell'Acqua sent out a collection of easy-to-wear eye-catching must-haves in No. 21 signatures such as Italian lace, printed silk and heavy embellishment.  Sensible classics such as pencil skirts and oversized collared shirts were de rigeur, but Dell'Acqua still injected a sense of whimsy in the form of vestal virgins printed on camisoles and skirts, harlequin prints and claw-like embroidery on dresses just under the breasts.  Also on offer are a couple of beautiful strapless options, perfect for Italian summer spent by the riviera.  All-in-all, a collection Style.com's Nicole Phelps wrote that show-goers left the show "raving about all the pieces to wear".

See the full No. 21 by Alessandro Dell'Acqua Spring/Summer 2013 collection at Style.com.

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